Do you hear what I hear?

With all the social networking, texting, chat and email technology flying around these days, I think there is an abundance of miscommunication going on. For how do we really convey emotion and intent through the written word without facial expression, body language and voice change? Some of the more skilled texters have their own language that seems to help, but really, unless you have taken 4 years of college on creative writing, how is Mortimer going to know that you were not really serious when you joked about your dog playing with plastic?

My communication with my supervisor is through chat and I am SCARED to death of her. Is she really as tart and impersonal as her replies to my unskilled questions make her seem?

Bonnie: This dictator put in this worktype. Should I change it to this worktype?

Supervisor: Why would you do that?

(This is where I wished I had never asked).

Bonnie: Um, I understood that she does not use that worktype.

Supervisor: That is incorrect. You should never change the worktypes yadda, yadda, yadda...